Kilham Memorial Methodist Chapel And Adjoining School, (Epworth Youth Centre)

Kilham Memorial Methodist Chapel and adjoining school, now Epworth Youth Centre

This Methodist New Connexion chapel and school was built in 1859–60 and converted to a youth centre in 1944, with later internal alterations and additions. The building is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond with blue brick and limestone ashlar dressings, and has a Welsh slate roof.

The structure is L-shaped in plan, comprising a five-bay rectangular chapel aligned north–south with its main entrance to the south gable end, and a three-bay school adjoining at right angles to the east, with an annexe to the rear.

The chapel is detailed throughout with a chamfered ashlar-capped plinth, ashlar quoins, and a flush blue brick sill band marked with cross motifs. The south entrance front is of two stages with low buttresses to each side and a central quoined section breaking forward. A lower central entrance porch with low buttresses flanks the shafted jambs of the former outer doorway; the arch and roof are now removed. A pointed entrance (the former inner doorway) has unsympathetic 20th-century double doors beneath a boarded panel. The advanced central section displays a pair of single-light traceried ashlar windows beneath blue brick arches flanking the porch, a moulded ashlar sill string course, and a pair of pointed two-light traceried ashlar windows beneath blue and red brick arches. Their apexes support a flush blue and red brick pointed arch containing a polygonal ashlar tablet inscribed in raised Gothic letters: "ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF ALEXANDER KILHAM 1860". The flanking recessed sections have moulded string courses and single pointed trefoiled ashlar windows (boarded at time of survey) in polychrome brick surrounds with small blue brick cross motifs above. The gable is stone-coped with a carved finial, gablets, and shaped kneelers.

The east and west sides have stone-coped buttresses between bays with quoined lower sections, pointed two-light traceried ashlar windows beneath blue and red brick arches, and a moulded brick eaves cornice. A tall swept roof carries crested ridge tiles and a later end stack at the north.

The west side of the north annexe has a small chamfered segmental-pointed ashlar doorway with an original board door, and a small louvred window to its left in a segmental-pointed ashlar surround. The single-storey school's south front is largely obscured by unsympathetic 20th-century additions but retains a segmental-pointed door (former inner door to the entrance porch) and a square-headed four-light mullioned-and-transomed ashlar window to its left with trefoiled lights. The east gable end has a square-headed four-light mullioned-and-transomed window beneath a pointed flush panel and a small oval light.

The interior was altered in the 20th century and was not investigated. The original ornate carved wooden pulpit and altar rails are housed in the Wesley Memorial Church on the opposite side of the High Street.

Alexander Kilham of Epworth (1762–98) founded the breakaway Methodist New Connexion in 1797. This denomination joined with other groups in 1907 to form the United Methodist Church. The chapel is listed partly for its historical interest.